West Palm Beach woman files lawsuit against elections supervisor

Mona Reis wants to vote after absentee ballot thrown out

Longtime political and abortion rights activist Mona Reis will ask a judge Friday to order the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections to let her vote in the 2012 election.

Reis filed a lawsuit Wednesday saying she's been denied the right to vote after Supervisor Susan Bucher notified her that her absentee ballot had been thrown out because her signature did not match her signature on file.

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"So she said, 'Well, can I vote in person, or can I vote some other way?'" said Reis' attorney, Louis Silber. "And the supervisor told Mona that your voting experience is now over. So we've filed this lawsuit."

Silber said Reis should be allowed to either vote in person or cast a provisional ballot.

His motion asking the judge for an emergency hearing on the matter has been granted, and Judge Glenn Kelley will hear the matter Friday morning.

Bucher has said in the past that Florida law is clear on absentee ballots, and even if one is rejected, the voter may not cast a ballot again.

"The current law does not appear to provide for a remedy if your signature doesn't match," Bucher said in a statement to WPBF 25 News. "You have to submit an update of your signature 15 days before the election. There are detailed instructions on the absentee ballot."